Freezer Meals Round 2

We did another round of freezer meals about a month ago. We wanted to try a different group with a better mixture of tastes. So far, they've been great...and by that I only have 1 left in my freezer and I am ready to go again!

We again doubled the list to make a batch for me & a batch for my mom. We spent under $200 & made 24 meals!

Here's your grocery & recipe list!

6+ months coffee free

Yes, it's true. The girl who typically drank from a coffee mug as big as my head hasn't had coffee in over 6 months. The day I discovered I was pregnant again, I had poured myself a cup of coffee and an hour later it was still just as full because I couldn't stand the taste of it. Then as the pregnancy progressed the smell of brewing coffee made me gag. So lucky for me, I didn't have to go through the caffeine headaches as I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey & lucky for the baby, they don't have to deal with the jolt of the limited amount of caffeine I could have had from coffee.

In the fall, the 1st thing I wanted after my miscarriage was a hot steamy coffee, something I had missed over those 9 weeks. It was the the symbol of the end of the pregnancy. I could have coffee.

This pregnancy, I'm good leaving it alone. At first it was easy, but as I started to feel better and it didn't make me gag, I was like I could have a decaf. But I've held out, I don't need it to survive, and to me holding out is now the symbol of the healthy and continuing pregnancy I am going through.

Will I need it after the baby is born? Will it even taste good anymore? I don't know. I'm sure I'll need caffeine at times, but hey it may be something that changes.

Mother's Day Brunch - [Recipe]!

I wanted to something different for my mom & mother-in-law this Mother's Day becuase it is the last one before they are grandmas. So I had this French Toast bake at a friend's house a few weeks ago and then discovered it came from one of my favorite blogs & knew it was what I needed to make them.

So I planned a Mother's Day brunch a day early so they could celebrate with our grandma's on Mother's Day. It was a hit & fun to have our moms over for brunch!

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Ingredients
1 loaf of french or sourdough bread
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (I added a bit more)
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

Directions
Grease a glass baking dish and line the sliced bread. Layer the bread so it overlaps just slightly, but not so much that it doesn't cook evenly. In a small bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla & cinnamon. Pour over bread evenly. Sprinkle blueberries on top, cover & place in fridge overnight.

To bake, remove cover & place in oven at 350 degrees for about 40 mins. You'll want to check it towards the end so it doesn't get overly crispy.

Dress with a dusting of powdered sugar & serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Why I Don't Care to Know the Gender

As my little brother says, "with technology these days, why wouldn't you find out the gender?"

Short Answer: I don't want to, it won't change if I have the baby or not or if I love them or not. Same with the genetic testing, I don't care, and I don't need to know.

Long Answer: Why does it matter that I know?

It doesn't change how I carry the pregnancy, I still have a baby growing inside of me, it's kicking, I've been sick, I go to my appointments, I follow the diet, I grow out of my clothes, etc.

I don't plan to paint my nursery pink or blue, I want it to be neutral. I plan to have more kids, so why would I want a room I am going to have to paint over & over again?

I don't want to have a shower where I get 57 headbands for my little girl. I want to have a shower that would provide me with things I actually NEED to have a kid and kids in the future.

I don't want my kid defined by their gender color, pink or blue. I am not a big fan of pink, so I don't want them dressed in their gender's commercially assigned color. I want to have it open, let them decide if they want to be a princess or an outdoorsmen on their own.

I don't want to have a name picked out that I am calling the unborn child, sure we have names we like but maybe they just won't fit when I see the new baby. I don't want to be calling my stomach, Shania or Jim, Baby O. suits it just fine.

I like the sense of not knowing, it doesn't change how I am feeling through the pregnancy, the unknown is just part of becoming a parent. How they will behave is unknown, how it will change me is unknown, why not just relax and live with the unknown.

My love for them will not change if they are a boy or a girl, Greg's love for them will not change. We enjoy the mystery and don't think we'll change in the future either.

ADDITION: This came up on my Facebook feed this morning, I fully agree with this post: http://www.scarymommy.com/not-find-out-boy-or-girl/